Passenger profiling - us and them

The delay of a Manchester-bound flight due to passengers' alarm at two 'suspicious' Muslim men demonstrates that even if politicians are wary of passenger profiling, the general public is not.

It is likely that the British public, notorious for distrusting those who govern and police their society, will be responsible for many more false alarms in the coming months. And it is a racing certainty that the majority of these cases will be the result of passengers spooked by a shifty look, a raised voice in Arabic, or a long beard.

But the likelihood of any of these incidents resulting in the prevention of a terrorist act is very small indeed. The chief outcome will be to drive a wedge of distrust between Muslims and non-Muslims, each distrusting and fearful of the other.

Passenger profiling, whether it be by civilians or the security services, is bound to fuel the us-and-them mentality which is gradually tightening its grip on British society.

The common-sense brigade, as represented by our friends at, among others, the Daily Mail and the Daily Express, is incensed that anyone could find the idea of passenger profiling unpleasant. Their argument is simple: There have been no whites, Christians, Jews, Martians, or Rotary Club members involved in suicide bombings.

This is true. But the surefire way to change that fact is to introduce passenger profiling.

Is it inconceivable that the people who organise and sponsor terrorism will modify their tactics to counter ours? They have already proven themselves adept at recruiting young, middle-class British-born Muslims to their cause.

Why not Bosnians, Phillipinos, or even white British converts?

This is an eventuality which the right-wing press appears reluctant to consider, abhorrent as it will be to those who choose to believe that we are being attacked by a tangible and definitely 'other' entity.

This is not the case. We are being attacked by those who feel themselves to be defending their fellow Muslims, and who are exploited by puppeteers who revel in affluence and high-level security.

The only way to combat this sad conveyor belt of brainwashing is to remove the climate which sends moderates into the hands of extremists.

Passenger profiling will never achieve this. Doing away with the pre-emptive, aggressive, tubthumping foreign policy of the past 5 years just might.